Reel

A SHOWREEL FOR OUR TIMES

We woke up on January 1, 2018 and figured it was time to put together a new reel for our company. When we looked back at 2017 it felt like there was a national pervasive negativity that we needed to shake. And so as we filtered through our footage we kept a keen eye open for all the good advice that we had been given from our subjects. One of the best things about our work is the process of interviewing people who have been through tough experiences and have communicated to us the valuable lessons they have learned. It was with this that we turned to the open canvas of 2018.

River

WATERCYCLE for BLACKBURN DESIGNS

1 in a series of 4 short films created on behalf of bike accessory brand Blackburn Designs. This film, about the art of bikefishing, follows cyclist Brian Ohlen down the Pacific Coast as he marries his passions of fly fishing and bikepacking.

To see more films from Encompass on behalf of Blackburn Designs please visit go to the Client page

Edge

PROFILE ON NOAH MAZE for YOGA MAZE

Noah Maze's approach to yoga is both pragmatic and philosophical, which is what sets him apart in a crowded space and has led to his enormous following. Creating a video which captured his point of view about committment, practice, and adventure required a long period of listening and questioning before we even began to roll tape. But through this process we got to the heart of what Noah's brand of yoga is about and we became fans a long the way.

Walk

Feature Doc: COMING TO MY SENSES

Coming To My Senses is our first feature length documentary, 100% self-produced. It premiered at Austin Film Festival in 2017, where it won the Hiscox Courage Audience Award. It was acquired for distribution by The Orchard and is set to release on May 15, 2018.

The film is about former motocross athlete Aaron Baker's 14 year recovery from a near fatal accident which rendered him a complete quadriplegic. It asks important questions about agency, motivation, and how our medical system is failing the disabled and chronically ill by not providing resources for them to reclaim mobility which is truly possible.

Crux

CLIMBING OUT OF A HURRICANE for Black Diamond Equipment

Activism Through Adventure AwardAdventure Film Festival2018

A short branded piece for Black Diamond Equipment that checks in with a group of local Puerto Rican climbers after their experience in the 2017 Category 5 hurricane, Maria. This short film was distributed digitally pulling in over 100,000 views on Facebook within the first three days of pushing it out online.

Alley

ABOVE THE ALLEY, BENEATH THE SKY for BLACK DIAMOND EQUIPMENT

In 2012 we went down to Rio to create an independent short film about kids from Rio De Jainero's most notorious favella who were learning to climb in their backyard. 4 years later, client Black Diamond sent down their most accomplished athletes to elevate the program and inspire the kids to keep climbing. What came out of it was this short film.

Eat

The Cure-Allfor Red Bull Media House

One of Red Bull’s more story-oriented pieces, this 7-minute road trip follows chef, restaurateur, and avid cyclist Justin Severino and his band of quirky buddies. Severino proves once-and-for-all that there is no need for compromise when it comes to biking tours and fine dining.

Ride

BRAND VIDEO for TIMBUK2

Timbuk2 makes great bags for city dwellers but somewhere in their growth they had lost touch with their origin story and wanted to firmly plant their brand back in the bike world. They started off with this brand video which clearly identified their values and commitment to manufacturing in the city of San Francisco. After that, they commissioned 5 Brand Ambassador videos about artists, mechanics, innovators, and democratizers that we told throughout 2017 and 2018. To see more about those videos please visit the client page.

Drop

GREAT FALLS W/ RAFA ORTIZ for RED BULL

Red Bull had some big dreams for this project. Until they had decided to film Rafa's descent, the only people that had been on the center flake of the river were those in kayaks running the falls themselves. In order to get a film crew into position and on to the flake, it took whole extra team of rafters and paddlers who could ferry upstream. With all of their might they succeeded to get 8 crew members and their gear into various positions, only to spend the entire day filming in the rain.

Burn

FEEL THE BURN

As longtime burners Dom and I had wanted for years to create some sort of film about Burning Man, it's just too visually rich not to be attracted to it as filmmakers. The opportunity came in 2016 when we received a commission through Outside Television to make a 10-minute film covering the Burning Man Ultra Marathon. Ultramarathon you say! Yes, in the middle of the dust, wind, searing heat, and hedonistic temptation that surrounds it over 200 people decide to run a 50K race. Clothing optional!

The film also toured the adventure film circuit playing at 5 Point Film Festival, DC Adventure Fest, Breckenridge Film Festival, Vancouver Mountain Film Festival, and many more. Winning Best Running Film at SHAFF film festival in the UK.

Miles

TAKE A SEAT

Dominic cut his filmmaking teeth on this project. He acquired tandem bike and flew to the tippity top of Alaska alone, where he quickly realized his plan of finding strangers to ride on the back of his seat was going to be near impossible in an underpopulated area with hundreds of miles between towns. But he stuck with it and by the time he reached White Horse he had a few lucky (or unlucky?) companions take up his spare seat. When he reached the bottom of Argentina he had cycled over 20,000 miles with 270 new friends and run an additional 300 just to set up shots. Too bad neither the GoPro or the drone was yet invented when he undertook this journey in 2006-2008.

Out of that came an award-winning one hour film and then two-seasons of a television series in the US.

This video is a highlight real from the various journeys under the banner of Take A Seat and a few photos from these adventures as well.

To see more about these projects please visit www.takeaseat.org or email us through the contact form to request a copy of the original film.

Balance

A FINE LINE

This short film won film agency Mofilm's competition for a digital Reebok story that helped visually conceptualize the idea of focus through sport. It features slackliner David Kingston at one of his favorite haunts near Crestline, CA.

Race

RIDERS OF DESTINY

Riders of Destiny is Encompass Films second feature length documentary, which is currently in the works. It is co-produced in partnership with German production house 7T1 Media, with which we have worked as their North American production partner for programs airing on German public television sports network ZDF.

Riders of Destiny follow several child jockeys from the remote Indonesian Island of Sumbawa as they go through a season of racing horses. Child horse racing is a cultural pastime which is largely undertaken by an improverished class of rural families who's economic actions are severely limited. The film touches on aspects of class, education, child welfare and income inequality.

City

Future Makers: Dave Ortizfor TIMBUK2, San Francisco

One of the Timbuk2 Ambassador series that focuses on individuals combining love of city, love of bike, and love of craft. This episode follows 1990’s DQM brand icon Dave Ortiz and his perspective on trying new things.

Director: Dominic GillProducer: Nadia GillFor the Brand: Azul Couzens

Roll

ROLL WITH IT

A short documentary with Blackburn Design, Roll With It follows a group of unlikely traveling companions on a biking and overnight camping trip. The catch: they must fit all they can carry on their bikes. Each with a different skill level when it comes to cycling, they work together to uncover the joys of bike travel. Learn more about the film on the official movie site.